


And The Clock Stops Ticking

by Maxumsurprise



Category: Eddsworld - All Media Types
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Death, Depressing as hell, Kind of existential, Mustard Gas, Short, That's the goal anyway, Trench Warfare, Violence, WW1, hopefully stream of consciousness, same with Edd and Matt, tord is mentioned but he really doesn't do anything
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-05
Updated: 2017-05-05
Packaged: 2018-10-28 10:32:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 676
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10829472
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maxumsurprise/pseuds/Maxumsurprise
Summary: "Man alone chimes the hour. And, because of this, man alone suffers a paralyzing fear that no other creature endures. A fear of time running out."—Mitch Albom, The Time Keeper19 years, 7 months, and 20 days. It wasn't enough.





	And The Clock Stops Ticking

**Author's Note:**

> Hi kids this wasn't beta read so I'm sorry for any errors

19 years, 7 months, and 20 days. It wasn't enough. 

Tom had never counted time before. It had never occurred to him to mark down the passing months of track minutes. He assumed that death wouldn't catch up to him yet. Any young, healthy man would've thought the same way. He had time. Always time. 

Time to grow up. To start a family. To fall in love and get married. But here he was, dying. It was the only thing Tom could think about. Who could survive a shot to the chest, one that probably went through his lung and collapsed it? Blood was flooding it right now. He was choking on it, hot and sticky as it flowed down his throat from - God, he didn't even know. At this point every part of him bled. His vision flashed in and out and Tom could feel the tears running down his face. The rest of his body was covered in crusted dirt and more of the awful blood. He'd always hated the site of. It used to freak him out so much that Tom had thrown up the first time he saw it spilling from a persons mangled body.

"What's wrong with you?" The general asked. "A little blood get you upset?"

It wasn't a little blood. That dreaded liquid was darkening the person's corpse. The poor man looked as if he'd gotten run over by a tank, and it was by far the ghastliest thing he'd ever seen. 

It wasn't fair, Tom thought. Those fucking politicians, cowards, sat in their offices safely and made decisions, and young men with their whole lives ahead of them got slaughtered. And for what? Who cared about Germany? The soldiers over there were just as scared as he was.

The looks on their eyes paralleled the ones of the allied soldiers. They were panicky, afraid of the death and violence that shrouded them like mist.

Death was an ugly word. It rolled around in his head like a marble - God, marbles. He used to play that with Tord. Tom didn't hate him like he said he did. They were acquaintance, maybe even friends. Even now he could picture the norski's soft features, his chestnut hair and silver eyes and Tom sobbed harder. He was going to die without a chance to tell Tord he never had any animosity towards him. What an awful way to go, with so many things still unsaid.

The last time they saw each other was at the train station. Tom was about to leave for the war in his new uniform, and Tord told him he looked like a dirty dish towel in it. This time he sounded almost melancholy, and it was the saddest he had ever looked. Tom had just smiled and poked fun at him for not joining up. Only a matter of time before the draft got him too.

What if he hadn't been drafted, if this hadn't happened? What would he do then with all that free time. He should have made his life more memorable. Goofing off in class and getting kicked out of various boarding schools wasn't how he wanted to be remembered. 

"Poor Tom," they'd say at his grave. 

"He was an alcoholic," someone would add. "Did you know that?"

The rest of the crowd would gasp and murmur amongst themselves. The only ones who would really care were Edd, Matt, and Tord. 

Matt was missing in action. It didn't mean dead, Tom reminded himself. Just gone for a while. He wasn't sure where Tord was, but Edd was in a hospital. The mustard gas had done a number on him, but he was slowly regaining his health. Tom would be the first to die, assuming Matt was still alive. The first to have a notice sent home that would leave his mother sobbing and his father wondering if this could have been avoided.

Could it? If the archduke hadn't been killed, if Germany never went to Austro-Hungaria's aid, if only-

If only he had time.

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry I haven't been updating stuff! I've decided to take more time to edit and read over my stuff a lot more. Please give me feedback if you notice anything thanks ily


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